Where Do We Begin?
by HerNamewasAlice
Summary: He returned her - Wally, he returned to her, Artemis. Just like he promised. Despite their happy reunion there's a bigger question on the line...how...how did he come back?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: so this is a constant request from a bunch of Spitfire fans. Enjoy**

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**C****hapter One**

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Four months.

It was four months since he was gone.

It felt like a long time.

Centuries.

And living here - to continue living in her apartment...it killed her. It was their apartment - _theirs. _They saved up months for it. So much hours, blood, sweat, and tears went to be able to afford it along with their education. Living here...it was only a reminder of what was...and what will never be.

"Maybe you should find another apartment," Kaldur told her.

She blinked and close her eyes. Artemis thought about it many times. She would stay up half the night going over the decision. The thought. No matter how many times she thought about it, she couldn't. Sometimes...she cried from the memories that the place possessed but it was the only thing that was left. "I can't," she shook her head. "I can't." Tears were coming from her eyes.

He nodded and hugged her. "I understand. It's too soon."

During the first weeks, the first two months, they visited her - her friends. They would go to her, check up on her. They would take her to places and try to make her forget. But after spending a certain amount of time, they would leave her. They would leave her to herself. They realized that no matter what they did, it wouldn't heal her wounds. So they leave her. Leave her to grieve alone. Except for one person, Dick. They were close - her and Dick - connected by him, Wally. He comforted her and she comforted him.

He understood her.

He knew how she felt.

Dick...he was the only one that could get her to listen. He could get her to listen to anything. Plans she didn't believe in. Boring things. Her flaws. Anything. She was a hard headed woman, filled with pride and thoughts but he found a way to get to her. Make her listen. He always did. Always.

"Maybe," Dick began. "You should listen to Kaldur. Maybe it will be good for you to live somewhere else."

She shook her head. "I can't. He wouldn't want-

"He would want you to be happy. He wouldn't want you to be grieving for so long. He would want you to laugh again. He would want you to be happy, Artemis. You and I both know that."

There was a long silence.

Artemis sighed and swallowed hard. "I know."

He exhaled deeply and forced a smile on his face. "Maybe...maybe we can go somewhere tonight?"

"Yeah," she breathed. She needed to forget. She needed to relax. "Yeah."

* * *

She returned home after spending some time with Dick. It was late at night and all she wanted to do was sleep. She kept the lights off for she felt no reason to turn them on and turn them off. So in the dark, she searched her way to her bedroom. She felt her way around, grasping on to objects in the dark - an edge of a dresser - a desk - a lamp - the side of her nightstand. Carefully, Artemis laid herself on her mattress, slowly pulling the sheets over her. She grumbled. Something was weighing the sheets down.

Artemis remembers then that she left her textbooks on the bed. Instead of taking time to throw the books off, she pulls violently on her blanket, letting the books fall from her force.

"Artemis?"

Her skin tightened.

It sounded...it sounded like him.

Wally.

She shook her head. It was only in her mind, she reminded herself. Her eyes lowered. Her mind loved to play tricks on her. The first weeks, she would think she heard his voice. She would run and call out for him only to find that she was all alone.

"Artemis?" the voice said again.

She bit her lips together and shut her eyes tightly. It was all in her mind. He wasn't there. He wasn't. He was gone. He has been gone. Gone for four months. He would always be gone.

This wasn't the first time she thought she heard his voice.

"Artemis? Is that you?"

She doesn't respond. Her heart was beating rapidly and her breathing was becoming faint and yet heavy.

"It is you," the voice chuckled, pulling her in. She gasped. Physical. She could feel something. It was someone. An intruder. "Goodnight Babe-

She broke out of the hold and flipped the intruder to the bed. She doesn't see anything but she hears a thudding sound. The man must have fallen to the ground. Artemis finds her lamp and turns on the light. She jumped the ground and holds out her fists ."I don't know who you are but get-

Green playful eyes. Fiery red hair.

Wally.

It was him.

Her heart stopped beating. "I-I-It's it'-s y-you," she stammered, her knees starting to shake. She watched the man stand up and give her a smile. "It-'s you..." she fell on her knees. She always fell on her knees when she was overcome with strong emotions.

He nodded and smiled sadly. He pulled her from the ground and held her by her arms. Supporting her...he was supporting her. "It's me, Babe."

Her ears were bleeding. This...this couldn't be real. He was gone. This... he couldn't. He was dead. This person - might be an imposter - but he has his voice. He has his appearance. He's...Wally...She quickly shook her head. No. Her mind was only playing tricks on her. Wally was dead. He was dead. "No! It's impossible- you died. You've bee-n gone-

"I know," he said calmly, his eyes lowering the floor. "And I'm sorry for leaving you but I'm here now and the rest is over." He held out his arms for her.

Her body slowly gravitated to him. She forced in a breath as he wrapped his arms around her. Real. It felt...it felt so real. He was warm. He smelled like him. He was...Wally. She knew him anywhere. Her hands traveled to his arms and she clutched them with her fingers. Real. She could touch him. He was real...it was him. She started to cry. It wasn't tears of sadness. It was tears of happiness. Tears of relief. "I missed you," she whispered, holding on to him. She was hugging him, embracing him like she always did. "I-I dream about every night since you were gone," she admitted. She would never tell anyone about it."I dream that you would come back and that-that things will be the same again."

Wally kissed her hair. She shuddered. She missed his touches. They were soft. Loving. And they were real. They were him. He was here. "It can be," he said softly. "It can be. I'm never going to leave you."

Artemis unwrapped herself from his arms and faced him. With no words, she touched his face, stroking his skin. If...if this was a dream...she didn't want to wake up. A smile appeared on her face. His skin...it was still soft. It was him. She still couldn't believe the revelation. "I love you," she whispered back, kissing him on the lips.

"I love you too."

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_I love you too_...those were the last words that he exchanged to her before he took her to the bed. She didn't mind. She just wanted to enjoy him. His presence. They made love that night but it was different than all the times they had before. They were slow. They weren't haste. They touched each other in soft touches. Gentle strokes. Loving. Sweet. They just wanted to hold one another. Explore each other's bodies again. Kiss. Love.

Artemis never felt anything so wonderful before.

She missed kissing him.

She missed being in the same bed with him.

Morning came too soon but when she woke up, he was still there. He was holding her. He was holding her tightly, above her chest. She laughed to herself. It was the first time she laughed in a long time. "Ugh," she muttered, her old self surfacing again. "You have morning breath."

He was still sleeping so she nudged him.

Hard.

"What?" he grumbled, waking up.

"Get up sleepy. You smell," she laughed to herself. She always did that to wake him up. Always.

He smirked and showered her with kisses on the back of her neck. "I love you."

"I love you too," she sighed. "I love you."

* * *

She watches him get dressed. His clothes were still in the closet. They haven't been touched since he was gone. She left them there and they were in good condition - as if he never left. He's pulling on a long red sleeve shirt and she couldn't help but look at his body. His body is still the same, untouched. But...there was something...a thought. A thought at the back of her mind. How...how did he come back?

"Where do you want to eat?" he said, zipping up his pants. He swung his arm around her and gave her a wet kiss on the cheek. "I would cook breakfast but when I came home I kind of ate everything in the fridge.

Artemis shrugged and kissed him back with a gentle kiss. "It doesn't matter to me as long as it's an all you can eat place," she laughed. If they went to a regular place, they would be bankrupt for feeding his enormous appetite.

"Mm...Joe's?" he raised his eyebrows and grinned at her.

She laughed. "Okay-Wally," her voice went low. "How...how...did you come back?"

He moved away from her and went pale. He thought hard for a long time.

There was a long silence.

She waited, watching him pace around in circles. Her skin tightened. She was scared now. The answer - his answer should be known. Everyone spent months trying to find him but they failed but he's here now. He was here out of nowhere. He found his way out and found his way to their bed. He should know. Nothing was making sense. "Wally," her voice was breaking. Tears from flowing from her eyes. This moment - this moment...it felt like a scene from a horror movie.

He rushed to her and kissed her cheeks. "Don't cry-

"Tell me - how did you come back?"

The brightness of his eyes faded and he frowned. "I-I-I...I don't know," he whispered to her. He kissed her cheeks again. "I don't know. When I woke up...I found myself on the floor on the kitchen. I didn't wonder about it because I was here and I was safe. The only thing on my mind was you. I didn't ask any questions."

She placed her hand over her mouth for a moment. "You...you..." she didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to feel. The only thing she knew that things...things weren't making sense. "...You don't know. Do you know if you were dead or not?"

"I know well that I was dead," he nodded. "The time that I was gone...I was in a place - a wonderful place," he wanted to say heaven but she didn't believe in it. He was tolerate though. "And...I just...just...woke up in the apartment."

"Wally..." she took several steps away from him. He went closer to her but she pulled out her bow and arrow, pointing an arrow to his chest. Was...this...was this him? "Stay back!" she screamed. "Stay back! I'll shoot!"

"Artemis," he said with both hands in the air, trying to calm her down. "It's me. Honestly it's me."

She closed her eyes.

"I don't know how I got here but I'm here and that's all that matters-

"You're not scared?" her eyes opened for him. "Aren't you scared? You don't know who brought back - or what - you don't know what's going to happen to you-

"Believe me I'm scared but there's no reason to act unreasonable. I'm here and that's all that matters, babe."

He grabbed her hands, making her drop her weapon. He gave her a kiss, relaxing her tense nerves. "We're going to find out and I promise you that things are going to be okay."

She broke from the kiss. "Where...where...where do we begin?"

"I don't know. The only thing I know is that I'm back from the dead."

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_**To be Continued...**_

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**A/N: Please review  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

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Blood samples. Finger prints. Deep questions from close friends. They matched. He was Wally...but...it seemed...it seemed...too good to be true. Out of nowhere after months of being gone, he comes back. There was something. There was something wrong. He didn't remember how he got here or how he survived. The strangest thing - the most disturbing matter was that he didn't question how he got here. He didn't worry. Wally...he was...almost...relaxed. Nothing made sense.

"What do you think?" she asked, staring at the screen. She watched as Dick search through files, typing away. He was searching, looking through live footage of around the world and on other portals and dimensions , wondering how Wally could have escape but...but...nothing seemed to fit any theory that anyone had. As if...almost out of nowhere. Wally was in the kitchen in the Cave, eating and talking with friends.

No response but she knew he heard her. She knew by the way he was frowning. His eyes were knitted in concentration and frustration. "Perhaps..." he began, his voice was harsh and discrete. Dick, he was confused and hysterical too. There was this emotional side that wanted to forget what happened in the past few months but the critical, logical side wouldn't. When Dick asked him questions, he was quick to respond...almost too quick...as if...as if the answers were fed subliminally. "Perhaps...perhaps...he isn't what he says he is."

Artemis shook her head. It couldn't be. Her far off speculations couldn't be true. "No-

"There's...there's something off about him. Something - as if taken from him. His answers, correct as they may be, there's something almost...automatic. I can't really explain."

"He's not some freaking robot," she laughed. Her laugh was bitter. "He matches with his DNA. He knows your favorite snack - you and his stupid handshake- your identity - he's Wally. He is _W__ally._"

Dick turned and stared at her. She was in denial, he knew. A part of her knew that something was wrong but she didn't want to know. She wanted Wally. She wanted things to go back to normal again. "I'm going to have M'gann check his mind again."

She rolled her hands into tight fists. "But she already did! She said he was definitely Wally! Instead of retesting and retesting, we should be celebrating. We should give him a party and make him happy. We should be doing anything that isn't this."

"Yes," he said slowly in a calm tone, addressing to her response about M'gann testing Wally. He had to be gentle with her. She was already losing it as it was. "She did but not good enough for my standard. He needs a longer search. A thorough search."

Her eyes narrowed and she punched the screen. Glass cracked and shards sliced her fist and arm. She didn't wince though. Artemis didn't even feel the pain. All she felt was everyone's disbelief and doubt. It was Wally. It's him. She knew him anywhere. She knew him more than anyone else, even Dick, his best friend. Wasn't her judgement enough? She had been with him for five years. They were engaged. They were supposed to marry after college. Have a life afterwards. Have a family. "What more do you want?" she snapped. "You and the others have him under the stethoscope for three weeks. _Three weeks._ Three fucking weeks! Making him do fucking physical and neuro tests - treating him as if he's some hamster! Hasn't he gone through enough?" There was a long silence. "It's Wally, Dick. It's him. I know it. I feel it in my heart. It's him. And you know it too. What other tests do you need to convince yourself and the others?"

He flickered his eyes indifferently. "Someone has to be logical. If it's me then so be it," his voice was stern. Her skin tightened. The whole time Wally was gone, all she did was focus on herself and not anyone else. She hadn't realized that Wally's death had affected him. Dick...he was different. Changed. This person - he was no longer relaxed or mischievous. He was serious and critical. A mirror of Batman. "Everything - it seems...too perfect. Maybe...our minds want us to believe that he returned."

* * *

"She's hysterical," M'gann closed her eyes and breathed. "She's not alright, is she Dick?"

He shook his head and sighed. "No. She wasn't even done with grieving over his death and she just wants to believe that he's here. The searches - what did you get? What did you see?" He had M'gann do a mind search for five hours, five long hours.

"There's something wrong but I don't know. It's hidden and buried in his mind. I haven't found it yet but it's...almost mechanic. Like his mind had been touched."

Dick went pale. "You don't think?"

"There's a few ideas that I have. Maybe...maybe someone found him. Either they cloned him-

"No," he dryly said. The idea was absurd. The idea...it was almost too easy of an explanation. Predictable even.

"It's common and it's most likely. Connor described to me that they program memories, feed you thoughts - mold you to match a certain personality. And Roy, he didn't know because they buried it - make you think what they want you to think. They do that so they can control you and gain trust from others."

"What's your other assumption?" he said quickly.

"Or maybe whoever found him, maybe they erased a certain part of his memories and is controlling him."

"That's not very much of a lead. We need more evidence. All I know is that something's wrong and we can't let our guard down until we know his state. We have to keep him under watch."

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_**To be...Continued?...**_


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